An Odyssey with Animals

A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate

Adrian R. Morrison

An Odyssey with Animals is a culmination of a veterinarian and scientist's years spent negotiating the divide between animal welfare and biomedical research. Drawing on the disciplines of philosophy, history, biology and animal behavior, Morrison crafts a multi-faceted argument in favor of using animals in research. The result is a thought-provoking, intelligent and fair-minded discussion of an incredibly charged subject--of the past and present of animals' relationships with humans, and how and why we should be able to use them as we do.

An Odyssey with Animals

A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate

Adrian R. Morrison

Description

The relationship between animals and humans is more complex today than ever before. In addition to the animals that have served as household pets, and the farm animals that have provided labor and food, countless monkeys, rabbits, rats, and cats have enabled modern scientists to treat and cure humanity's most devastating illnesses. This aspect of animal-human interaction has engendered a bitter enmity between animal rights activists and the biomedical researchers whose work depends on the use (and oftentimes the killing) of laboratory animals.

In An Odyssey with Animals, veterinarian and sleep researcher Adrian Morrison argues that humane animal use in biomedical research is an indispensable tool of medical science, and that efforts to halt such use constitute a grave threat to human health and wellbeing. The target of repeated acts of intimidation by anonymous animal rights activists because of his own research, Morrison is himself an animal advocate, and this volume is the culmination of his years spent negotiating the treacherous divide between a legitimate concern for animals and the importance of biomedical research. Drawing on the disciplines of philosophy, history, biology, and animal behavior, Morrison crafts a multi-faceted argument in favor of using animals humanely in research, the center of which is his staunch belief that human interests must be the primary concern of science and society. Along the way, Morrison delves into other human uses of animals in domains such as agriculture, hunting, and education, examining each use along with its philosophical, moral, and ecological implications. The result is a thought-provoking, intelligent and fair-minded discussion of a charged subject-- of the past and present of animals' relationships with humans, and how and why we should be able to use them as we do.

An Odyssey with Animals

A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate

Adrian R. Morrison

Table of Contents

Foreword David Dinges, Ph.D.Introduction1. Searching for the Boundary between Animals and Humans2. Victims3. "Doing" Science4. Biomedical Research and its Animals5. Fudging the Data6. The History of Modern Animals-Rights Activism7. Exploring the Nature of Animals8. Justifying Other Uses of Animals9. The PhilosophersEpilogueBibliographyIndex

An Odyssey with Animals

A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate

Adrian R. Morrison

Author Information

Adrian R. Morrison, D.V.M., Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine. He is an internationally known expert on REM sleep and a defender of the humane use of animals in biomedical research.

An Odyssey with Animals

A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate

Adrian R. Morrison

Reviews and Awards

" An Odyssey with Animals demonstrates that even someone who has held hard-line positions in the animal research/rights debate can offer a thoughtful perspective, and suggest points where compromise might be reached. This is one of the strengths of Morrison's book-- the way his story becomes a journey of exploration, and the way that he not only solidifies some of his own opinions but also allows himself to be open to possible shifts. . .Morrison's reputation as an outstanding researcher and his importance as one of the rare scientists willing to speak out on this issue will undoubtedly make [this book] a valued part of the continuing public discussion on animal research."--Deborah Blum, Professor of Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of The MonkeyWars

"Here is the account of a spine-chilling journey through the world of animal use and the abuse of science. It is written by one whose rich experience, deep understanding, warm heart, and balanced mind qualify him beyond all others to tell the awesome tale. This is a splendid book."--Carl Cohen, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan

"[This book] does for the animal rights and welfare debate what Lance Armstrong's book accomplished for cancer; although bad things happen to good people, our response to personal adversity can be transcendent. Odyssey candidly describes how Morrison, a scientist, veterinarian, and community leader became the target of animal rights extremists, giving us a balanced corrective in which reason supplants rage, knowledge replaces superstition, and love trumps hate. . .[A]ccessible, entertaining, appalling, and inspiring." -Ralph Lydic, Ph.D., Bert La Du Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan

"This book is the culmination of the author's years spent negotiating the divide between animal welfare and biomedical research, and also his attempt to give a voice to the dozens of biomedical researchers who have been victimized..."--Missouri Medicine

Check out the AgWired blog for a quick review of An Odyssey with Animals! http://agwired.com/2009/07/27/new-book-on-animal-rights-vs-animal-welfare/

"Odyssey is partly a story of Morrison's role as defender of animal research and partly a thought-provoking self-examination of his own perception of the human-animal bond in all of its forms. However, the core of the book is a wonderful glimpse into the laboratory and the dedicated researchers who make medical progress possible...Odyssey is not an emotional defense of animal use although it is loaded with introspection about animals and peppered with personal thoughts and observations...Morrison makes an ethical, moral, and sensible argument for biomedical research even while cutting moderate activists some slack. The book is invaluable for anyone who wants to understand lab animal medical research as well as for the lawmakers and policy wonks who will write laws and regulations to govern research activities."--As reviewed by NAIA

"Dr. Morrison's book An Odyssey with Animals is a refreshing departure from the existing and typically polarizing literature dealing with the contentious issue of the use of animals in biomedical research....This work is a thoughtful, insightful, and highly personal reflective analysis of his [Dr. Morrison's] ambivalence toward the use of animals...[it] provides a nonconfrontational discussion of the relationship among animal rights/welfare activists, extremists, and the animal welfare movement, emphasizing the very important and oft-confused difference between animal welfare and animal rights....this book is particularly welcome and valuable. Hopefully, it will encourage clinicians, researchers, and professional organizations alike to become more actively and aggressively involved in this critical debate. This easy-to-read book filled with poignant anecdotes will be an invaluable resource to all sides dealing with this difficult and often emotional issue."--Sleep

"Whether you are a researcher or a lay person, pro-research or pro-animal rights--or anywhere in between--Adrian Morrison's An Odyssey with Animals: A Veterinarian's Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate (2009) will give you much to pause and consider...Inspired by personal experience, Odyssey is written with an easy, personable tone....No matter where you eventually fall in the debate yourself, reading An Odyssey with Animals will enrich your understanding of a difficult and complex issue and add depth to whatever conclusions you draw."--Claire Edwards, as reviewed in The Physiologist

"Overall, this book would be an interesting addition to the shelves of those interested in the animal rights/welfare debate and for those interested in an in-depth personal commentary on pivotal events as well as personal thoughts on the subject."--Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science

"This 272-page book should be read by all physicians and scientists in order to understand the threats posed to the advancement of medical science and to the development of treatments and cures for many human diseases."--Journal of Child Neurology

"Exposing one's core beliefs about the contentious topic of animal experimentation makes one vulnerable to partisan attack. Morrison's reflections deserve respect, because--unlike other books and blogs--this work is not a polemic account but a treatise on how using animals in research advances knowledge and ensures scientific progress....Perhaps the biggest achievement of this book is its demonstration that, through reflective reasoning and critical scholarship, it is possible for a researcher like Morrison to '...see a changed world, and [that] I have changed wtih it.'"--Nature Medicine

"...Morrison himself has devoted much of his time to thinking, debating, and writing about how humans should interact with animals. He admits that, for all their excesses, those hardcore advocates performed a valuable service: prompting scientists to re-examine whether and how they should make use of animals in their work. Morrison's initial rage, in other words, has given way to reflection, and this wise book is the result."--The Pennsylvania Gazette

"An Odyssey with Animals should be read by all teachers and others who have to answer questions about the use of animals in research, for food, in sport, and even as pets." --The American Biology Teacher

"...Morrison's breadth of experience across a wide range of contentious issues in our relationship with animals makes his an unusual book. Whatever side of the fence you believe yourself to be on, after reading his book you will surely come to appreciate that there are many fences and Morrison has worked harder than most to break them down." --Nature Neuroscience